When posting photos to social media sites brands often hope to get a little bit of exposure to generate some buzz, but the process was amplified when the founder of The Chic Site posted a photo of herself in her swimsuit. Rachel Hollis posted a photo of herself in her bikini along with a short note about having three children, stretch marks, and some saggy spots. While she braced herself for the negative reaction she knew was coming, she got a huge surprise when the opposite happened.
The support for a woman embracing her body and not portraying the “perfect body” often seen in social media accounts has been outstanding. The photo has received more than a half-million likes and has been shared more than sixty-thousand times. The volume of success notwithstanding, the real touching part about the photo is the comment section.
Comments from strangers are flooding in, and the positive reaction is nothing less than inspiring. The general thoughts of being comfortable in your own skin, proud of your accomplishments, and loving yourself are expressed on a constant basis. Hollis has been touched by the support and positivity resulting from a simple photo going viral that does not feature a Victoria’s Secret model clad in lingerie.
In the end, all it took to inspire others, men and women, to be a little more comfortable with their bodies was the confidence of one woman to make a bold statement. With any luck more and more people start to recognize that confidences is the new sexy.